One Thousand
by Chiba.Kun
Summary: Birthday fic for my sister, B i t t e r -CHAN. When Mia Fey heard the story of the Thousand Paper Cranes, she was given new hope in the form of a hobby. Diego/Mia.


**A/N: **Happy Birthday, Michaela! This was written especially for you. Don't hate it. Please don't. I know I could have done better. But I'll stop being emo for you if you'll just read it. xD

**Summary: **One thousand cranes, one thousand wishes. She wouldn't give up until hers came true.

**Warnings: **Possible spoilers.

**Disclaimer: **I own one copy of every game in the series, but I don't own the series.

* * *

Maya Fey walked into the small home her older sister once lived in. She sighed. Mia always kept everything so neat and orderly. Not a single paper was ever out of place while Mia could avoid it… but now the place was becoming layered in dust. Maya wanted to cry every time she walked in – but tonight she would not.

She was on a mission.

Maya made her way through the neglected home and into what was once her sister's bedroom. She looked through the drawers, finally coming across what she was looking for.

She looked up at the ceiling, at the strings of paper cranes Mia had hung around the room. She'd often counted them as she waited for Mia to return from work so they could leave for burgers. Maya took this chance to count them all again.

Nine-hundred and ninety nine paper cranes.

Maya opened the small package of origami paper she had taken from Mia's drawer. The package had been used before, so a few sheets were missing. Maya pulled out five sheets, just enough for what she needed.

"Ack – !"

Maya slapped herself on the forehead when she dropped the precious pieces of paper. But something about them caught her eye: on the back of each sheet there was something written.

_I wish your eyes would open._

**ooooo**

_For the last few months leading up to the end of her life, Mia would fold paper cranes. While visiting the hospital, she had overheard a nurse tell a patient the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. The little girl in the hospital bed's eyes lit up, and she had asked the nurse for some origami paper. The nurse laughed and had fetched her some, agreeing to help. When the nurse came in to check on other patients, Mia had stopped her in the hall._

"_That was a nice thing you did for her," she said, referring to the girl that was folding cranes. The nurse smiled._

"_I know. She's very sick – I felt as if I had to give her some hope."_

"_It's a beautiful thing."_

"_I know. Besides, giving her a little bit of hope might make the future brighter." The nurse sighed and looked at the man in the bed next to Mia. "I hope he gets better soon."_

"_He will," Mia replied, pushing some hair out of her lover's eyes. "He has to, and he will; even if I have to fold all one-thousand paper cranes by myself."_

_And so Mia had begun her task, working relentlessly for months at both her job and her project. She began to string the cranes together and hang them from the ceiling of her bedroom, a constant reminder that things would eventually work themselves out. _

_Every single crane she folded had the same words hand-written on them: I wish your eyes would open._

_Mia would always refuse the help Maya offered her, not because she was unappreciative, but because it would somehow seem empty if she didn't do it herself. Maya didn't understand why she did it._

_Still, Mia worked and worked at it until the last day of her life._

_**ooooo**_

Maya smiled to herself. Kneeling down on the floor before the sheets of origami paper, she called out to Mia. Not one to keep her sister waiting, Mia quickly responded and entered Maya's body. She fully expected to see Phoenix in front of her, desperately needing some help finding his way out of a situation.

Instead, she found nothing.

"I'm… in my room," she said quietly to herself. She looked around, touching the dusty surfaces. "And Maya never bothered to come in here and clean up. It's been at least two years…" she muttered. Mia sighed to herself and turned her attention to the floor, where five sheets of paper had fallen. She picked them each up and examined them carefully. "Oh…" she whispered, realizing why Maya had called her.

She set to work.

**ooooo**

The next morning, the scent of coffee drifted through the halls of the hospital ward where Diego Armando lay in a coma. Mia, borrowing her sister's body, placed a cup of coffee on his bedside table and smoothed his hair back. She sighed and sat with him for a little while, whispering soothing things to him as he held his hand.

Eventually, she felt Maya's consciousness returning and knew it was time to leave.

"Goodbye, Diego. I love you," she whispered. Mia stood up and leaned over to kiss his forehead. She placed one last thing on the table next to the coffee she had brought him. "See you soon," she said as she left.

**ooooo**

Diego's eyes opened. He sat up in his bed, feeling around for something – anything. His world was painted black. He saw nothing, only heard faint noises coming from outside. And there it was – the smell of coffee. He breathed deep the scent of his precious drink and felt around for the cup. He brushed past various things, finally reaching the cup. He picked it up and lifted it to his lips, taking a long drink.

He swallowed the liquid, calmed only slightly. He heard something – no, someone – enter the room. "Mr. Armando, you're awake!" The feminine voice exclaimed. He blinked. "I know," he replied coolly, "but I can't see."

**ooooo**

Godot sighed to himself. He hated what was left of his life. Even now, after months after waking, he wished he were dead and that that horrible woman had done him in.

He took a long drink of his favourite coffee blend. _My life is dark and bitter as this drink, _he mused. _So why do I find myself inexplicably drawn to it?_

Godot sighed and reached across his desk to the small paper crane that had come to rest there. He unfolded it gently, just as he'd done the moment he'd regained his sight.

_I wish your eyes would open._

"You got your wish, didn't you, kitten?"


End file.
